


Must Love Imperators

by mrspadrona



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fury Road, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Might be absolute crap, post apocalyptic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-08-16 20:26:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8116375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrspadrona/pseuds/mrspadrona
Summary: An attempt at writing McDanno using inspiration from the Mad Max universe. It was inspired by @moonstalker24's IBDC series and the plot ate through my soul.





	1. The Ohan

**Author's Note:**

> Have you read IBDC: McDanno by [@moonstalker24](http://archiveofourown.org/users/moonstalker24/profile) She wrote the framework for my story in one of her chapters, entitled Gasoline.   
> I couldn't get rid of the idea and I'm dipping my toes in.   
> Please don't roast me alive ... ConCrit is always welcomed.

“Boss. Teethers got a guzzler and lookin’ like its fresh. We should checkit, ya?”, Kono’s voice drifts down into the cab of Five-0 from her vantage point as the Longshoot. She has the vision to see before the Rig and it’s her job to protect them from creatures in the Crag. She is the eyes of their rig and she’s good at her job; sometimes she finds things other than creatures.

He taps the ceiling in response looks out over the Road. He can’t see anything yet but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. Kono leans down over the cab and points … his eyes follow and still doesn’t see but he turns the wheel anyway. He knows his Ohan … he trusts them with his life. Beside him Chin smiles as he checks his gun, ensuring the load and accuracy while Lou lets out a laugh that booms across the sky. They have been together since they were Pups, clawing and fighting their way up from Below until they took their first Rig. Now they were Guards and their Five-0 was exalted as the Deliverer.    


Minutes later, he has driven his Rig through one of the Teethers and is standing beside a man that fires in time, without the fear that some travelers carry. He hadn’t realized the truck was occupied but now that he has the time to notice, there are 3 more climbing out of the guzzler. The man who fired, small but powerful and seems to take up more room than even Steve himself. He grows even larger when a child rushes under his arm and peers out around his waist, seeming to protect her in his shadow. Steve appraises him, more out of habit than interest, as Chin introduces them.  


“I’m Danny, and this is Grace.”  


His voice seems to fit inside Steve’s head, like it’s been the sound he’s missed all his life. His powerful body slots into the cab of the Rig as though it were meant to be there and even Grace, with her tiny fingers and huge smile seems to fit their puzzle. Steve blows the horn and turns the Rig towards Pele. Towards home.  


He has a feeling his Ohan is complete now.


	2. The Rig

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The subtle changes as time goes on ...

The garage where the guzzlers were kept sat on the south side of the Hālau, occupying a large swath of land beyond the gates. It wasn’t uncommon to see War Boys and Pups scurrying inside the structure, fixing and tinkering one guzzler or another while socializing in their strange communal way. Moving like bees in a hive, everyone had a purpose and a reason to be where they are. People looked past the Boys as they made their way to their destination. The War Boys in the Garage was as common as the coloured sky.

Beyond even the garage was a structure that no War Boys dared to enter. This was the home to their greatest Deliverer, the Five-0. People who came past the entrance would sometimes leave gifts for their Guard as a way of thanking them for their service to Hawi. Their Ohan would always be seen in the crowds but it was never polite to approach them to offer gift or draw attention to their Guard. Always it was anonymous and always it was left at the heiau where Five-0 resided under it’s shadow. No one dared enter the shadow, save the Guard. No one dared the sanctity of their Deliverer. Five-0 was silent … respected … to speak in the presence of their War Rig was “maha”. 

When the new ones came, and a new Guard was suddenly part of the Five-0, the peoples welcomed their family to Pele. They were given responsibility, taught the young the learning she would need and included them in their daily chant for blessing. Days and weeks passed, their time flowing as the time does and routine returned. The peoples continued to leave their offering, the Guard continued to protect and the LifeWater flowed and traded. There was contentment.

A year went by and suddenly, the peoples began to notice. From within the Five-0, there was sound … not the half whisper of prayer nor the yells of frustration. These sounds were joyful and warm. These sounds could be echoed in any of their homes. There was teasing and laughter, the pattering of feet and the stomp of boots on hard ground as though giving chase. The peoples didn’t know how to respond … their Guards did not make these noises. Their Guards were kind but solemn and none given to the bright cheerful laughter of a child. But the Guards did not protest and their protection did not lapse, so the peoples accepted the change. 

Their Guard was Ohan and their Ohan was complete. The laughing made them feel warm and safe as the peoples sheltered their Five-0.


	3. Grace

Imperators were the highest of the Guard. They stood at the top of the World and protected Hawi and the peoples. They were almost Gods and it was rumoured that their bodies had accepted the precious guzzoline into their veins as they were elevated. To become Imperator was to become sacred … it was also to become feared. The peoples never disrespected their Imperators but many found reason to be elsewhere as they wandered in their business. 

War Boys feared and worshiped Imperators. Specifically, War Boys feared and worshiped Commander McGarrett of all the Guard. They whispered of his power … of the day he turns his eye upon you and turns your blood to oil, thick and useless in your veins. They trembled with fear as he walked past but to be chosen among others to come to Five-0 … to touch the Deliverer … was something akin to being blessed by Hawi itself. All wanted to keep Five-0 at it’s top form and none wanted to be the one to break her. 

The months since their arrival had slipped and a new black thumb came to the garage. She was quick and funny, always smiling as she worked. Her fingers were deft and her engines purred to life as she worked. It was uncommon for a wahine to become a Boy, but as quickly as she proved her mettle with an engine she also proved her temper. It didn’t take long before the first of the War Boys to attempt a mating. It took even less time for him to hit the ground, missing 5 teeth and howling as his elbow angled in entirely the wrong direction. After that, she was accepted and no one made a whisper of her not being a Boy.

Rumors spread, of course they did. The wonder of who she belonged to became an every day question and all made bet on her bond but none dared approach and she didn’t offer an answer. She lived with the Boys, making her bunk with the rest and eventually she disappeared in their rank. She was kaika … sister to the Boys. The Boys all whispered to her of different advice and their chants of prayer … they ensured she had Lifewater and she shared her grains. Time passed and engines roared under her watchful eye and nimble fingers.

The day Commander came to the garage, the Boys made to protect the Kaika. None wanted his glance to happen upon their sister for fear he would not accept her presence. They made reason for her to be huddled inside a guzzler, whispering and buzzing to draw attention away. The Commander prowled, his eyes ever watchful over the Boys and the sense that he was looking for something in particular made their bowels loose. None wanted to be the one Commander was looking for, not with that look in his eye. It was determined and focused, scanning from one face to the next. The Boys should have known better than to think they could fool an Imperator.

 **“Where is she?”** , his voice boomed across the garage. The Boys all looked at one another, debating between denial and sacrifice. It took moments before absolute silence filled the space behind his question and all that could be heard was the clink of metal against metal.

His voice was quieter the second time. Many of the Boys fled the garage before they lost their composure. **“I said … where is she? I know she’s here and I’m not going to ask again.”**

There was a squeak … no one could ever really be sure which of them made the noise … but the squeak was definite and the Imperator turned towards it, his eyes narrowing when he saw the guzzler many of the Boys had gathered around. His stride was long and the Boys watched their doom approach. This was a God amongst the peoples … his gaze could strike you dead and your engine would stop. His arms crossed his chest as he looked upon them … but none of the Boys moved. God or no, this was their kaika.

He snorted as he pinned each Boy with a look. Their hearts grew weak and their limbs stuttered … but none moved. A few raised their chins and met his gaze. One even held his wrench tight, terrified of what happened when one died after striking an Imperator. 

A moment passed … maybe two. He snorted again and his voice was much softer now, looking in the guzzler. 

**“You aren’t in trouble Grace.”**

Her head popped up from inside the engine and she scowled … ACTUALLY SCOWLED … at the Imperator. 

**“Uncle, I’m working. If I don’t learn and get better, how can I come fix Five-0? You weren’t supposed to come here. Danno promised you wouldn’t come. Now go away so I can finish and get good enough for Five-0.”**

She smiled at him … that warm, loving smile that none of the Boys had seen before and ducked back into the engine she’d been tinkering at. The Boys standing around the guzzler all turned to look … their faces various shades of fear, pride and borderline blasphemous joy at hearing their sister dress down the COMMANDER. 

The bashful smile on his face as he stared after where she’d disappeared back down into the metal was something that no Boy would ever forget. Boys didn’t know love … War Pups and War Boys new engines and work and community. But none would deny what the smile on his face had said. He turned towards each of them, the hard lines of his face returning almost instantly as he spoke.

**“She is Ohan. You show me pride at standing for her.”**

Things didn’t change much in the garage after the Commander left. The Boys went back to their tinkering and their socializing. They worked and they laughed and the teased her about the Commander and her Danno. He didn’t return to the garage, but small gifts of wrenches and fresh oil appeared for every Boy who stood with her.

Years passed and Grace learned. She sponged knowledge about engine and oil, teaching the Pups about their trade. She fought and she won, laughed and cried. She learned all there was to learn about Rigs and took up the habits of all the Boys. She was OK with a gun but ace with an arrow. She could change out gears even while the Rig was full throttle and Boys spoke with reverence of her ability to magick a guzzler back to life. 

The day Commander came back to the garage, he called out for her and the Boys made sure to find her. She stood in the shade of the garage, looking up at Commander with a puzzled look on her face. He smiled at her again before holding out his hand.

Hanging from his palm was a key. 

The yelp of joy that hung from her lips echoed through the garage much as his scream had done years before. 

Grace was Five-0.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This blurb can be laid at the feet of Betray802, who inspired this on Facebook and it just kinda ... grew.

Haw'i had been a dream. A dream that had driven them across the great desert, gotten them past the Teethers, past the Great Death ... She remembered the heat and the smell; the cramped darkness inside their small rig. The fresh air when she'd run for her Danno had hit her like a solid wall but it was refreshing. The Teethers, from what she remembered, were vicious and when she found Danno, she saw the Imperator but he had a smile inside of him. She could see it, clear as day.

This was her gift from the Mother; she could see what people were hiding and could see through to their soul. It was not something she made people aware of because she knew it wasn't normal and she didn't want to be "special". But she worked with it in the quiet and eventually she was able to sense people even before she could see them. And working with the Pups and WarBoys brought the Wolf into her life; a boy who shared her gift. When they'd seen each other, there had been an instantaneous connection and she'd seen him glowing like a beacon. He taught her control, how to shield herself, and how to use her gift to her benefit. The first time she sensed Teethers and she realized how far away they were, she was shocked. Wolf had grinned at her with his too-sharp smile and she realized there were feelings there between the both of them.

Just before Grace became 5.0, she and Wolf committed to each other, guided by something inside them. They'd found a hale and he had requested it for them from Governor Denning; he'd agreed and gave his permission to be joined. When she told her Danno and her Uncle, she noticed the look they exchanged and she giggled to herself. She could see their emotions, the way their auras wrapped around each other and she knew they had committed. They confirmed it after she told them about Wolf and they welcomed him into their Ohan.

When Uncle sat her down just before her fifteenth day and told her that she would someday inherit the 5.0 rig, she snapped her head up and looked at him. She'd seen the truth in his aura; the pride in his heart for seeing her as an Imperator, like himself. He guided her, led her, helped her, and the day she was raised before Immortan Joe as an Imperator on her sixteenth day, she could feel the pride of her Ohan filling her as she stepped into the bath of guzzoline to be baptised. She wore nothing, as was traditional, and she felt everyone's eyes on her

"She could be a Wife," Joe said as he approached her and she lifted her gaze, her eyes fiery and her mouth set in a fine line.

"I will not be a Wife. I will ascend to my place as an Imperator and I will protect the people of Haw'i as my Ohan has always done."

Immortan Joe made a snorting sound as he stood before her. She could smell the powder on his skin, along with the slow, greasy scent of decay; she made a point of shielding herself from his emotions. She didn't need to know what was going on in his head. She stood, up to her knees, in the pool of guzzoline and felt the thick motor oil being smeared across her forehead, trickling down her face and staining her skin black. It was part of the ritual ... she would be blessed and then she would be inked. Where the oil falls, so falls her tattoo; her way of honouring the Imperators before her.

"Today we welcome a new Protector. We welcome Grace McGarrett, young of Commander McGarrett and his partner, Danno. Today, we welcome the next generation of 5.0 Protector for the peoples," Joe announced and she could hear the people outside cheering. Such a huge change from when they'd first arrived, when everyone avoided the Imperator and thought to respect them, they must ignore them. Grace had changed that with her open and easy smile, spending time with the peoples and introducing herself. Now the peoples would greet 5.0 as easily as they greeted their partners.

She was led to the sacred space and laid down; Uncle above her. As he had sponsored her, he would mark her; inking the trails and lines of oil that had trickled across her face. There were two lines down the side of her nose, one trickle running down over her eyelid, and her forehead was completely black. Danno sat at her feet, holding her while the WarBoys pinned her arms and Wolf was at her head, holding her still as Steve inked her face. She kept her eyes on Steve, smiling as he allowed a single tear to track it's way down his nose and it splashed onto her freshly tattooed forehead. He'd been like a second father to her and now, his tears were a part of her forever. His tears fell as he inked the side of her nose, as he inked across her cheek. They were tears of pride, same as the tears Danno shed onto her feet. And the tears her Wolf dripped onto her forehead and the boys dripped onto her arm. This was her Ohan ... this was where she belonged and taking a piece of each of them tied her even more to Haw'i and to her Ohan.

When the ceremony was done and she'd been carried through to be blessed by Immortan Joe once more. she was carried to the Hālau where 5.0 stood and she looked at Steve and Danno.

"Ma'kāne, you believed in me. You pushed me. You loved me. You left me alone," here Grace looked directly at the man she had thought of as Daddy and grinned before continuing, "and you trusted me. I will honour you."

Danno came forward and kissed her forehead before turning and extending his arm for Steve to join.

"We have always been proud of you, Grace. We always knew you would make it to WarBoy but you surpassed even that to become a Guard and you'll ride with us on 5.0 until it's time for you to take over."

She smiled, but shook her head.

"I need my own rig. I need to go out into the Great Death and prove myself. I will come back to 5.0. I will come back to you, my Ma'kāne. But I need to do this on my own."

She kissed each of them and made her way back to the garage where the guzzlers were kept. Back to where the rigs were held and she looked up at the rig she'd been working on in private for the past five years. Subconsciousy making the rig something she'd want to drive.

"She yours?" A voice asked from behind her and she shook her head.

"I wish. Nope, I just built her."

"You sure?"

She turned and the voice belonged to Rigor, another Imperator. He was throwing something at her and she grabbed it out of thin air, more by habit than decision. Looking in her palm, she saw the keys to the rig.

"You put more work into that rig than anyone I ever saw. You built her, you should drive her. I head into the Great Desert tomorrow and it'd be nice to have someone behind the wheel that knows what the hell she's capable of."

Grace smiled and ran her fingers over the keys, looking Rigor in the eye.

"Done."

It was another two years before Grace saw her ma'kāne again. She stayed in the desert, driving and shooting and killing. She shot Teethers, Grabbers, raiders, and men alike. She killed her first man three days out from Pele. He tried to get into her blankets and she said no. He insisted so she killed him. Rigor laughed when she told him what had happened. "Bastard got what he deserved."

When she pulled into Pele, she was climbing out of her skin to see Danno and Steve. The rig parked, crew dispersed, and Grace made her way to the 5.0. It stood inside it's hale as though it were ready to leave at a moment's notice. The garage was deathly quiet, as it had been before she left and she worried; she ran up the stairs to the sleeping area and found her ma'kāne in bed together, snoring softly. She took advantage and climbed into the bed between them, feeling Daddy come awake in an instant and Danno the moment after, before she was smothered under both of them as they hugged her.

It was Danno who noticed she looked exactly the same as when she'd left, a few new scars not withstanding.

It was always Danno who noticed when she wasn't aging.

The third time she came home, after being out in the desert, he asked her about it because she didn't seem to be getting older. When she looked in the mirror, she saw the same 16 year old girl that had left on her rig two years ago. And now, at twenty-two, her face was unchanging. And she noticed, as they went out together, Wolf was the same. Neither of them aged ... neither of them got the sick ... the crew whispered about it but were glad to have her and welcomed Wolf with the same hospitality they'd shown her. This was her Ohan ... this was where she belonged ... where people didn't question her command when Rigor stepped down and elevated twenty-four year old Grace to Commander.

When she was thirty, she returned to Pele to find the 5.0 rig gone. She asked what happened and everyone said they'd gone into the desert and hadn't come back. They'd been gone for almost a year. Grace was back into her rig and out looking for 5.0 within an hour, her entire crew coming back to the rig to help. Grace was their commander. They would die for her.

She only hoped she found them in time.

**Author's Note:**

> You should come follow me on tumblr. I share my opinions, my voice and my love of coffee and cupcakes. 
> 
> http://intheclosetstudio.com


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